ad formed and protected, than in
exercising, himself, a high personal power. Alexander, on the other
hand, was all his life intent solely on enlarging and strengthening
his own personal power. _He_ was all in all. He wished to make himself
so. He never thought of the welfare of the countries which he had
subjected to his sway, or did any thing to guard against the anarchy
and civil wars which he knew full well would break out at once over
all his vast dominions, as soon as his power came to an end.

The result was as might have been foreseen. The whole vast field of
his conquests became, for many long and weary years after Alexander's
death, the prey to the most ferocious and protracted civil wars. Each
general and governor seized the power which Alexander's death left in
his hands, and endeavored to defend himself in the possession of it
against the others. Thus the devastation and misery which the making
of these conquests brought upon Europe and Asia were continued for
many years, during the slow and terrible process of their return to
their original condition.

In the exigency of the moment, however, at Alexander's death, the
generals who were in his court at the time assembled forthwith, and
made an attempt to appoint some one to take the immediate command.
They spent a week in stormy debates on this subject. Alexander had
left no legitimate heir, and he had declined when on his death-bed, as
we have already seen, to appoint a successor. Among his wives--if,
indeed, they may be called wives--there was one named Roxana, who had
a son not long after his death. This son was ultimately named his
successor; but, in the mean time, a certain relative named Aridaeus was
chosen by the generals to assume the command. The selection of Aridaeus
was a sort of compromise. He had no talents or capacity whatever, and
was chosen by the rest on that very account, each one thinking that if
such an imbecile as Aridaeus was nominally the king, he could himself
manage to get possession of the real power. Aridaeus accepted the
appointment, but he was never able to make himself king in any thing
but the name.

In the mean time, as the tidings of Alexander's death spread over the
empire, it produced very various effects, according to the personal
feelings in respect to Alexander entertained by the various
personages and powers to which the intelligence came. Some, who had
admired his greatness, and the splendor of his exploits, without